Sunset Grazing

Fabric Postcard experiment
(Sunset fabric postcard - Version 2.0)

Felt like "something was missing" or perhaps it was just too simple - or maybe I'm just too used to adding quilting or seed beads to blank spaces.

So a recent Blog visit to the designer of the tatted giraffe happened to have this picture of her giraffe, I was reminded of a long ago plan to make a bookmark with mine.

I made a new giraffe - several trial & error rejects as I relearned needle tatting. I had 10 backgrounds painted and ready to embroider the leaves for a swap so I experimented with the giraffe on one of them. Suits my NEEDS MORE syndrome.

Also experimented using Flickr account to upload pictures here.
Let's see how that works now that I've edited a plain text message...
I think I might like the change! Have to edit after 1st round of publishing blog post but easy. Once I figured it out.

Still Puzzled

How I spent Friday

I made another puzzle piece :)

Here is the blog with some other examples.

I needle tatted the basket with a smaller weight thread last year, so it wasn't big enough for a postcard. It got dropped into the sewing box for someday.

I dug it out and put it to use. It's been so long since I did one of these that I'll have to relearn how to make them before I try another for swapping.
Basket Pattern (Designer: It's me!)

I need to make a "view finder" shaped puzzle template so I can center things better. It's hard to judge where the middle will actually end up with my current method: Just guess...more or less.

I added some petals, leaves and beads at the base to offset the basket handle being too close to the top and too much empty space below. Sara took a look at it and said it looked like petals had started dropping off.
So I guess my disguise worked :)

On Saturday I basted newly purchased 30 count Hardanger fabric and set to work on a new block. I'm winging it as usual, with thoughts of making it into a Stitch Exploration fabric book page.

This is about 4 hours of work.
Free chart I started with. Looking forward to cutwork & needleweaving sections. Where I go next is still up in the air.
It's going to take a while to make a "book" at this rate.

Finished things

I won't tell.

Harry Potter book 7 was finished mid week, leaving me with an "I don't know what to do with myself now!" anti-climax. This book is not at a young child's age level. For the kids & adults hooked on Harry from the beginning, we've aged along with the characters in the book. I fear with all 7 now available at the same time, the next generation hooked on Harry will be too young for some of the later books. I hope parents pay attention to their child's age level and not just their reading skill. Librarians should be cautious of where the series is placed on the shelves.

I've also finished my series of free-form needle tatted trees for the Postmark'd Art postcard swap. 4 plus one for me to keep for my own collection. They sort of went from stark bonsai to Whomping Willow. My reading material may have had some effect on the direction my free form tatting took?

Each one is a little different from the next, with a marked difference between first and last. Not sure which is my favorite. Will probably keep the one directly over the book. Background colors might have been better with something else, but I'm stash busting with fabrics I have on hand.
It is what it is!

Vacation time is here (half over now). Tom and I decided a day trip or two and instead of traveling around spending gobs of money on gas and fast food for 2 weeks. Instead we have demolished the living room!

Going about the same track as a favorite children's book: "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" (he's going to want a glass of milk). ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER! We ripped the nasty squares of ceiling out to replace with wood. (Only 2 rooms left after this and all of the ceilings will have been replaced.) That means the wood molding has to come down. And be stripped of multiple layers of paint and stained to match. And the wall paper I put up 20 plus years ago might as well come off. This time taking it back all 3 layers and painting. (Perhaps another shade of yellow?) And then door trims & window sashings will need to be painted. The floor has issues but we will deal with that later. Seriously. One thing ALWAYS leads to another!

Of course a major issue cropped up when we realized 15 feet of ceiling trim is trapped by 4 feet of ugly fake brick fire wall that was put in place before we bought the place. A wood stove used to dominate the living room but we installed ours in the basement with ductwork bringing the heat up. But the ugly bricks stayed. Until Friday.

I saved you a fake brick, Steph!

Tatting Collage project

Bonsai Fabric Postcard

Not sure if this needle tatted bonsai tree qualifies as motif 9.
Let's say it does since it's a finished item.

From inspiration found in Lindsay Rogers' Tatting Collage book, this is my interpretation of her cover, scaled down to fit the tree themed postcards I've signed up for in a coming swap with 5 members of Postmark'd Art.

The book gives basic instructions for the combination of stitches & patterns found within the book that were used in the collages - not actual direction for each collage.

I'm a JOINER!

25 Motif Challenge

Needle Tatted motifs are turning up everywhere!
I've joined a group that's all about tatting motifs. Pledging to make 25 this year.

(I do pledge to give it my best shot :)
I'm starting a little late!

I made 2 more needlebooks just so I could have some place else to stick some tatting onto. As the queen of unfinished things I'm hoping my 25 motif's translate into #25 finished items. Not just a box of motifs!

I suspect Needlebooks and Bookmarks will be added to sock gifted friends & family far into the future.

Not counting anything twice, I have 8 finished.
Technically, I have 15 basket postcards all finished and 6 have been mailed away already.

I'd be working on my next motif but the Patchwork Press (newsletter I edit for Maine's Pine Tree Quilters Guild) is due out to the printers this week. This computer is so slow in between waiting for things to open or download or print I have washed kitchen & living room windows - inside & out; done 3 loads of laundry, vacuumed and made potato salad for supper.

(@#%&*$ thing!) There's been a great deal of swearing, as well. When PWP is done I will happily go back to some guilt free needle tatting practice.

I'm a Calendar Girl!

July 16 Tatting Calendar pattern

My basket has been added to the Tatting Calendar project.

Today!

Hopefully it's not riddled with mistakes, as a couple of people are testing it, but as of now it's only been tested by me. Awfully bold of someone who's been holding a tatting needle for all of 3 weeks? And had never even heard of the concept of needle tatting until I wanted a basket for a postcard?

(Still no knitting happening, although I got a project out and touched it a few minutes.)

Next Item! Here is the newest fabric postcard I came up with over the weekend, changing the cutout to hold a purple tatted butterfly within a net window. I've done this basic crazy quilt design before, with several different motifs in the window. Felt cutouts of maple leaves, shamrocks & hearts - until I discovered tatting! Will add beads and maybe even a tatted edge to a seam next time, but I'm out of pink seed beads & I wanted to test the first one (NOW!) with a butterfly, just to see how it would look trapped in the net.

A couple of weeks ago I sent one I did for fall swaps last year to the ArtCard Ideas project:

Share your fabric postcard creations online for the ArtCard Ideas 2007 Idea Deck Contest!
We're looking for fun, elegant, wacky, and wonderful fabric postcards as art for a deck of ideas especially for fabric postcard artists.
Postcards will be collected from all over the world and displayed here for everyone to view. Visitors will vote on their favorite postcards, and photos of the 52 most popular cards will be included in the 2007 ArtCards Idea Deck for sale this fall!
There are goodies for the 10 most popular cards, and every winner earns bragging rights, so get a fabric postcard creation to us by August 1!

My card, A Piece of New England in Fall can be seen here in their gallery. I seem to have moved to the bottom of the page. Hopefully it's an alphabetical thing.
Or last - but not least?!

Voting starts August 15th for 2 weeks - and it would be lovely to be one of the chosen ones.

(What she actually means: Shameless begging will begin on the 15th!)

Needle Tatting; Week 2 1/2 :)

"Light Bulb moments" add up

I'm finally getting the hang of this needle tatting thing - without stopping to decide which way to go at every turn. The basics are coming more easily. The Learn Needle Tatting Step-by-Step book arrived yesterday with my 4 new needles. It's a good thing it's price was equal to the cost of the needles alone as I've learned most of what's in the book from free online sources - before it got here.

I've even come up with a tatted basket by changing this tutorial for a medallion pattern into more what I was thinking of as I searched for a fabric postcard basket theme idea in the first place. The reason my knitting/mom blog morphed into something new a couple of weeks ago!

I may even hold knitting needles today to see if remember how!

Needle Tatting; week 2

Split Ring demystified!

Tried following a tutorial for split rings and was left with broken rings and chains hanging in mid-air. Pretty sure I wasn't doing something right! Posted a question on the Yahoo group I joined and one lady went above & beyond trying to help me out by adding a new tutorial on her blog. I got it!

And made a bookmark of sorts. Kind of looks like a fly swatter! Thought of adding one of the colorful butterflies to it. Butterflies are NOT for swatting though, so maybe not.

But at least it's finished and I worked enough split rings to really "get it!"

My new book arrived. Tatting Collage by Lindsay Rogers would be worth the list price just for the pictures. Even if I never tatted anything from it. But I've already done butterflies & stars from it and that Bonsai tree on the cover will end up on a fabric postcard if when I figure it out. I found it on Half.com for less than list, even with shipping & handling. PLUS the lady included a piece of tatting - still stuck to the #8 tatting needle. Unexpected bonus!

Needle Tatting; week 1

New obsessions

Just like Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, I have "discovered" Needle Tatting!

Sure. Other people already know about Needle Tatting, just as America already had a fair number of residents who should have perhaps slapped Chris upside the head and pointed out the fact that they were here first.

But a discovery is what we make of it.
There's a good chance I'm going to be away from my knitting needles a bit longer.

NEEDLE TATTING!

A week ago today I was searching through some old patterns I had printed off from the net.
For someday. For "when I get around to it."
I was looking for basket postcard ideas and although I never found the one I was thinking of, I came across this one. Printed out in July 2001.

This basket has waited very patiently for me to "get around to it"!

(Although it turns out only the flowers are tatted. Basket is actually drawn onto a note card, so I've free handed a sketch of a larger version to appliqué onto fabric.)

I went out and bought a tatting needle that very morning and have doodled a bit waiting for some how-to books to arrive from the library. There are a host of online instructions & support groups. I've joined one specific to needle tatting and expressed my joy at discovering their secret. Needle tatted motifs may find their way onto a few more fabric postcards & ATC's.

It's vacation week so another "discovery" was made due the fact that we were lost. Tom was driving so we'll call it exploring! We found the Dead River above Long Falls Dam.

Map reading directions: Go to Bingham, Maine; cross the river and turn right. Then just drive.
(Check to be sure the gas tank is full before encouraging the fool to do this!)